Page 9 of Steeling Light (Shadowed Debts #3)

Rhion chuckles. “I don’t think so, but I’m sure time will tell us the truth.

” He stops and turns to me, his hand reaching out and taking me by the elbow.

“Ainslee, I need you to understand something. I’ve never lied to you, and I won’t start now.

We’re on opposite sides of this thing between Cole and my father, but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to change.

I am and have always been the same Rhion that you knew growing up, and I have never lied to you or any of your friends.

I may have tried to kill Cole a few times, but it’s not like he hasn’t swung that sword of his at me on more than one occasion. ”

I pull my arm from his grip, and he lets me go. “That’s just it, Rhion. No matter how you twist it, we’re on opposite sides of this fight. You just want to have dinner together and pretend like this isn’t eventually going to come down to our two sides trying to kill each other?”

Rhion shakes his head slowly. “I don’t know, Ainslee. I really don’t.” He focuses on the path before us as we step into the first bit of mist. Minutes pass and we walk in silence, the surrounding air slowly filling with the fog that reminds me so much of the Nothing.

“I’ve missed you,” Rhion says softly. “That’s what I know for certain. For over nine-hundred years, I’ve missed you. Not Cole. Not Darian. Just you. And I… might be willing to ignore some things my father would prefer I inform him of if that’s the price to spend time with you.”

I arch an eyebrow. “Have you ever considered abandoning your father and joining us? We could…”

“No. I can’t do that. Maybe Cole can leave his father to fight alone, but I was raised differently.

I… don’t think I could turn against my father even if that’s what I truly wanted.

But I can pretend I didn’t figure out why you’re in Selithar.

I can ignore whatever you find. I can twist what we’re doing to make it seem like you’re hunting for relics, and I’ll have a good reason to stay in the city with you. ”

“Isn’t that the same…” I try to convince him to walk away from his father, but he stops me.

“No, it’s not, and that’s all I’ll say about it.

You don’t understand, Ainslee. The bond between a father and son is strong, and the bond between a King and his heir is even stronger.

The power that my father controls runs through me as well, and when he commands me to do something, I can’t simply ignore it.

My body refuses. I’ve tried to fight back, and I simply can’t.

But I can manipulate how his commands work.

Just because he tells me to report on what we’ve done doesn’t mean I have to tell him everything. ”

I don’t respond immediately. Cole had tried to explain the way it had felt to refuse his father a command.

I remember the day of the Shattering when Casimir had tried to force Cole to lead his armies, and Cole had refused.

I remember seeing him fall to his knees in agony before Casimir had done anything.

It’d been terrible, though not as terrible as when he’d begun torturing us when Cole had maintained that refusal.

Cole had tried to explain it to us; he’d refused his father even if it’d been agony.

“You just want to spend time together? I have important things to do in Selithar, Rhion. I can’t just waste the days taking long walks through the Labyrinth.”

Rhion chuckles. “If you’re so busy, then why did you show up tonight?”

I’d almost missed his dinner date to try to find Vesta’s friend in the Keep of Webs, but if there was any chance of swaying Rhion’s loyalty, it’d be worth it to spend a single day doing it. At least that’s what I’d told myself.

“I don’t think I’ll be in Selithar long. I was only passing through, and I don’t know where I’ll be headed next.”

That’s when I realize it doesn’t really matter what I say or how serious the conversation, Rhion always smiles when he’s looking at me. He’d fit right in at the Keep of Light. “I wouldn’t mind an adventure. You let me know when we leave, and I’ll be there.”

“Rhion, you can’t just follow me across Nyth. Aren’t you supposed to lead your father’s troops or something? There’s a war brewing, isn’t there?”

“I’d follow anywhere you tread, Ainslee.

My father already knows that I could be gone for an extended time, and nothing will happen unless Cole makes a move, something I don’t think he’ll do until you return.

My father is only worried about acquiring the relics currently, and I’m officially searching for one.

See, there’s nothing stopping me from walking all over the world at your side. ”

I shake my head and can’t help but giggle a little. “It’ll be just like when we were kids. Our walks will just have gotten significantly longer.”

“And more remote, hopefully.”

I finally stop and turn to look at Rhion. “I feel like this is a poor decision. You can say what you want, but the facts haven’t changed. We’re on opposite sides in this war. What good can come of our spending time together?”

“We’ve always been on opposite sides—even when we were children. Those walks together are the best memories I have, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Is this really any different?”

“It is, and you know it. We were children, and even then, your father almost made Darian a slave because of it. There are repercussions for us spending time together.”

For the first time, Rhion stops smiling. “Ainslee Emlyn, I promise you.” The smell of freshly forged metal fills the misty air, and I realize just what Rhion is doing. An unbreakable oath. “I will stop anyone from hurting you. Even my father. I will do whatever it takes to protect you.”

The sharp scent of hot metal floods the area, and a silver band encircles his wrist. “There,” he says.

“Now you don’t have to worry about any of those repercussions coming down on you.

” His smile comes right back into place, and he reaches out to take my hand.

This time, I let him. Maybe it’s shock at what he did.

Maybe it’s remembering what it was like to be children together.

But when his hands take mine in them, I feel more relaxed. I feel safe as I look into his eyes.

“Take me on an adventure, Ainslee. I don’t care where we go. Just like when we were young, before everything changed.”

I can’t stop the heat from rushing to my cheeks. “Is it really that easy?” I ask.

“Yes. It is. But I’ll make it easier for you. I’ll wait for you outside the Labyrinth tomorrow all day, and if you don’t come back, well, I’ll know what you decided.”

He raises my hand to his lips and presses them to my fingers so softly I barely feel them.

But I feel the heat of his breath. I feel him, and I see the look in his eyes.

“I’ll be waiting,” he says, and then, without another word, he leaps into the air, wings sprouting from his back at the same time.

And he flies through the mist as if he were born here. A second later, I’m all alone in the Labyrinth's mist holding a plate of pastries, and I have no idea what I should do.

I sigh and take another bite of the everfolded pastry. At least they aren’t complicated. I should just pretend like I never saw Rhion. It’s obviously the best decision. Everything to do with that man is complicated and likely to end with heartache.

Yes, that’s what Cole or Darian would tell me to do. Now, if only my heart would stop pounding so fast and my fingers weren’t throbbing where his breath had whispered past them.